The True Life of Captain Sir Richard F. Burton

Sir Richard Burton (1821-90) is perhaps the most enigmatic of all African explorers despite the many biographers who have attempted to unravel his life story. This early biography, by his niece Georgiana Stisted, remains an essential source-work. Its original publication, in 1896, followed closely upon the death of Burton and was written by one who knew him well.Scholar, orientalist, and brilliant linguist (he mastered 35 languages, and dialects), Burton’s most celebrated journey was his ‘pilgrimage’ to Mecca in 1853, disguised as a Pathan, Five years later found him with Speke on his hazardous expedition to Lake Victoria, which Speke claimed as the source of the Nile. Burton’s refutation of this resulted in a major controversy which raged for...